


Beat Playing In My Heart

by ToxikCherrys16



Series: The Archer and the Demigod [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Book 3: The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson), F/M, Female Percy Jackson, Idiots in Love, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Battle of New York (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:56:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28897011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxikCherrys16/pseuds/ToxikCherrys16
Summary: Winston Churchill said, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you will see.” Disclaimer - I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON, MARVEL OR THE AVENGERS.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Percy Jackson
Series: The Archer and the Demigod [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1217859
Comments: 5
Kudos: 47





	1. Thinking of Percy

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys and gals. I’m finally doing it. This is the second instalment of The Archer and the Demigod series, which I wasn't actually expecting would be so popular. No joke, Master of the Tides has 17,250 views/hits at the time of me writing this. I added it up.
> 
> Now, as some of you may know, I’ve struggled with my mental health a bit, but today is a day of celebration, because today, January 21st 2021, it has been 8 years since I last self-harmed. I have a cake with an 8 candle and everything.
> 
> Anyway, let’s get on with the story. Thank you to all who’ve read, reviewed, commented, favourited, and all that jazz.
> 
> Please R&R/comment if you want.
> 
> T.C.
> 
> P.S. The face claim is the same as before, Emer Kenny, but I’ll repost the photo on my tumblr. - same name as I write under or How About A Nice Family Dinner?
> 
> P.P.S. This is a series of one shots, so if there’s anything you want to see, please let me know.
> 
> ~oOo~

  
Clint had learned very early on that Tony liked to give everybody nicknames – Capsicle, Legolas, and Patchy the Pirate were just a few examples of that fact – but he was also used to it. Percy and Annabeth called each other Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl respectively, and there were plenty of other nicknames given at Camp Half-Blood.

He was currently sitting in a Shawarma shop with the other Avengers, or at least that is what Fury had called them, eating after a weird and trying couple days. After being kidnapped by a demigod wanting revenge, controlled by the Glow Stick of Destiny, doing things he’d never do in his right mind, and then fighting an army of aliens from outer space, Clint was really thinking of how his life had become this, and what was important to him.

Five years ago, almost to the day, Clint had met Percy. As sarcastic and reckless as she was, she had become one of the most important people in his life. It was her birthday today. They’d made plans to go see that new movie she was talking about and then swing by her mothers apartment to have dinner with her, Paul and Estelle. He wouldn’t have to explain why he wasn’t there though, right?

But the events of the past couple of days had made him realize something about the dark haired girl. She was more than just his friend. She was the most important person in the world. He couldn’t wait for her to call him Legolas or Katniss, or receive an IM in the middle of the night just because she wanted to talk to him.

Why had it taken him this long to figure it out? Why, after he thought she’d died just before her fifteenth birthday when she caused Mount Saint Helen’s to erupt, fought in two wars, gone missing for eight months, and fallen and trekked through Tartarus, had it not hit him sooner? He loved her. Loved how she laughed, how her eyes seemed to change colour depending on her mood, the fierceness in which she protected and defended her friends.

It was too late to do anything about it now though. After the Battle, debrief and going out for food, curfew would have hit, and he had no intention of getting on the bad side of the Harpies. He’d been chased by them before, and he was _never_ doing it again. Once was enough to scare him shitless. It was something that Percy still took great pleasure in, before recounting the time she outran them with Annabeth and Tyson, before sneaking onto the Monster filled cruise ship – the Princess Andromeda – while following a fellow camper to blag their way onto her Quest.

Of course, he’d then go into details about one of his missions, where he ‘barely escaped with his life,’ only to have Percy quickly tell him about another Quest she’d been on, or something cool she’d done at school. Or her favourite ‘I was kidnapped by a lunatic and fought him on a beach in Los Angeles.’

“ _You weren’t kidnapped_.” He argued, “ _You went on a Quest and left a trail of destruction in your wake_.”

“ _Well, that’s the story the news went with, so it must be true_.”

Natasha could see that he was distracted, fiddling with the corner of the paper his food came in. She would have thought that he was thinking about what he’d been made to do at the hands of Loki, had it not been for the far off look in his eyes. She tried to silently communicate with her best friend, but he was too deep in his thoughts, and she thought kicking him in the thigh, or even just kicking his chair, would bring unwanted attention. She’d have to wait until later.

And, just like she thought, he told her he’d just been thinking about everything that had gone on during the last few days. She could also tell that he was keeping something from her, but just figured he’d talk about it when he was ready. It could be days, weeks or months, but he would tell her eventually.

**~oOo~**

The next morning, Clint’s awoke early. For his plan to work, he had to sneak out of Stark Tower before anybody woke up, and then make his way to Long Island Sound. And when you had a talking A.I. named J.A.R.V.I.S that recorded the comings and going’s inside the Tower, and a Super Soldier who already seemed to be up, he had to figure out how to get out unnoticed.

Clint was expecting that to be the hard part, but it actually ended up being the easiest. Steve was in the gym, Bruce and Tony were in the Lab, and Thor and Natasha were still asleep. It was pretty easy for him to just walk out of the building.

He took a taxi to his destination, and the driver was pretty confused as to where Clint told him to stop, but he was getting paid. And there was no way in hell that the archer was going to call upon the Grey Ladies. He’d hitched a ride with them before, and it was another thing he’d added to his list of ‘Things I’ll Never Do Again,’ deciding that he’d rather be chased by an angry pack of wolves through the woods.

But now was the time to take his thumb out his ass. As he walked up the hill to the Camp’s entrance, he knew he couldn’t chicken out or half-ass his declaration of love. He had to make this moment count. And just as he passed the boundary line, he knew what he was going to do.

  
  



	2. Betting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys and girls. Here’s another chapter. This one is connected to the previous chapter, but also something mentioned in Master of the Tides.
> 
> Now, these chapters wont always be in order, so I’ll do my best to say when its set. So this is set August 2012, and Estelle (Percy’s sister) is born in the March of the same year, as opposed to March 2011 as she is in the books.
> 
> Anyway, thank you to everybody who’s reviewed, commented, favourited, followed and all that jazz.
> 
> Please R&R/comment if you want.
> 
> T.C
> 
> ~oOo~

The Stoll brothers were known to be the fun-loving, mischievous pranksters round Camp Half-Blood. They could get in and out of the camp without being detected and, for the right price, would sneak banned foods and drinks back in – like Cola. Clint had even seen them trying to hot-wire the camp’s SUV on one of his early visits.

But now, the brothers were running round the Camp with a notebook; visiting various Cabins, the Big House, Arenas, or anywhere else they thought they would find any campers. On a normal day, everybody would be nervous as to what they were planning, but they all seemed to know what was going on. All, but one.

Percy was under the water; thinking of her best friend, Clint. It wasn’t unusual for her to spend hours under the water when she needed to think or escape from the craziness of her various cousins. But that wasn’t the reason today. Clint was on a Mission, and she knew his job was dangerous. There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t come home injured or dead, and she was praying to her father – Poseidon – to bring him and Natasha came home in one piece. She was completely unaware as to what was going on.

Back on dry land though, the Stoll’s – and other campers – had seen the way the daughter of Poseidon and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent looked at each other, so they had decided to take bets on how long it would be until they admitted their feelings towards each other. Some had already made bets with siblings and the Directors – Chiron and Mr. D – but this one was the ‘official one.’ Or at least, the written version of who had made bets with who, which would be left in the Big House with the Centaur so nobody – aka the Hermes kids – could cheat.

Cabin Ten were very invested in the budding romance, but nobody could expect anything less from them. Their mother was Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. She’d been very invested in the young demigods love life for a while, and she wasn’t going to let anybody burst her bubble.

Some campers thought they could trick the two into starting a romantic relationship, but their attempts didn’t work. Secret plans spread through the camp like wildfire, and somebody else was always around to to foil any type of plan to get them together.

More than one of the Aphrodite kids replaced all of Percy’s clothes with ones they deemed appropriate, but Clint could tell she was uncomfortable in them, and just lent her his jacket. The Ares cabin tried to engineer fights to get them to confess their feelings, but they didn’t play ball. And the Hermes cabin had set literal traps around camp, it was just too bad that their intended victims didn’t set any off. Plenty of other campers did though, and Clint and Percy spent their time helping people out of them.

Two years they’d been trying to get them together. Most thought that after the end of the Second Giant War they wouldn’t hesitate to get together. To decide that life was too short and admit their feelings.

Chiron had told them that their attempts to force them together wouldn’t work, and it would take a life or death situation for them to admit their feelings. Others would say that he cheated, but the circumstances of their first kiss were so unusual that it wasn’t something you could predict.

  
**~oOo~**

It was Percy’s nineteenth birthday, but it wasn’t a good day. Word had filtered through that Clint had been compromised while on a mission, and Percy was scared she wouldn’t see him again. They hadn’t even told her how or where he’d been compromised, or even mentioned who’d been responsible.

Again, she’d been under the water praying. All she wanted was some sign that Clint was all right. And by sign, she meant him walking into camp with a present or something, not a huge hole in the sky with aliens attacking New York. She’d felt the disturbance from the bottom of the lake, and it took all her will power not to go help out. Chiron would say that this was a human battle.

“But Chiron.” She’d almost cried as she tried to convince him to let her join the battle, “My family is out there. My mom, my sister, Paul. My sister is only six months old. And there’s every possibility that Clint is out there too.”

“After an argument with Will, Nico has gone to collect your family and bring them here.” Chiron told her, “And Mr. Barton is able to defend himself.”

“HE HAS A BOW AND ARROW!” Percy almost yelled, “No offence.” She added as an afterthought, “But have you seen what they’re up against? The flying metal alien whale things and the wormhole in the sky?”

“I’m sorry, Child. But this is one fight we cannot involve ourselves with.”

She’d gone back to the freedom of the water, seething at the unfairness of being told what to do. She could hear the roars echoing through the water, the disturbance as wreckage settled on the ocean floor. But after a couple hours, everything went quiet.

Percy surfaced to see the hole had closed, and no Monsters were flying around, but that didn’t stop the plumes of smoke rising into the sky in their place. Manhattan had really taken a beating, just like Harlem a couple years back and that small town in New Mexico the year before.

Dinner that night was a subdued affair. Out of respect for those who had probably died during the Battle, they decided to celebrate Percy’s birthday the next day. And Percy was glad they did.

Nothing shocked her more then when Clint walked into the Pavilion during breakfast. She almost fell off the bench in her haste to get up, and Clint just dropped his bag on the ground. They met halfway between the Head Table and the entrance, and taking no chances of chickening out, Clint wrapped his arm round her waist, pulled her closer to him, and captured her lips with his.

They seemed almost ignorant to the cheers and cat calls of the campers around them, as Percy wrapped her own arms around Clint’s neck. When they pulled away – smiling and giggling – they spotted Mr. D handing Chiron a small pile of Drachma. After all, he had said it would be a life or death situation that brought them together.


	3. Telling Natasha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys and gals. Yet another chapter for you to enjoy. This was probably my favourite to write, so far, because it was the first one I finished, and it was just really funny to write. I knew what I wanted to write, how I wanted it to end, and I’m really proud of it.
> 
> Now, this chapter is set around February/March of 2014, if my calculations are correct. It’s set around 18 months after the first two chapters.
> 
> Anyway, on with the chapter. Thanks to everybody who has reviewed, commented, favourited, and all that jazz.
> 
> Please R&R/comment if you want.
> 
> T.C.
> 
> P.S. To anybody who’s read Ashes Like Snow, I’m hoping to get the next chapter out either this month (Feb) or next month. I believe I only have a couple paragraphs left to write.
> 
> ~oOo~

Training was something that all Agents had to go through – even fully fledged ones – which is why Clint and Natasha found themselves, one afternoon, sparring in one of the many gyms S.H.I.E.L.D. owned. They were two of the best Agents around, so the two friends didn’t understand why they had to go through this every few years, but they still practiced together. Better to go against somebody who wouldn’t tap out after only a few hits, and they trusted each other more than anybody else. Which is why Clint was somewhat distracted.

He was arguing with himself about how to tell his best friend that he had a girlfriend. They told each other almost everything, but the archer had been keeping this secret for quite a while. It had been just over a year and a half since he’d started his romantic relationship with Percy Jackson, and yet he still felt anxious telling the former Russian assassin about his demigod girlfriend... Not that he’d announce what she was, but still.

Natasha sent him to the mat once again as he let his mind wander to his dark haired, green eyed girlfriend. He knew he’d have bruises by morning, and Natasha would tell him it was his own fault – which, technically it was – but he couldn’t help where his thoughts when he thought about Percy.

She was a badass. She’d fought in two Wars – the Second Titan War, which included the Battle of Manhattan, where she defeated Kronos and his army, and the Second Giant War against Gaea and some rebel Romans led by Octavian, Augur at Camp Jupiter, legacy of Apollo and wannabe Prophet, that ended almost a year later – both happening when Percy was only sixteen. She was sassy, resourceful, one hell of a fighter, sexy... And as his thoughts started to drift even more, Natasha hit him again.

“Come on. What’s on your mind?” She asked, getting fed up with how easy he was making it. She was all about the challenge of taking an opponent down, and her training had included her killing fellow children who didn’t perform at the standard expected of them. Of being handcuffed to the railing of her bed at night. Of being called sloppy when she didn’t stay in target. Literal brain washing to become the perfect assassin, which culminated with the Graduation Ceremony.

“It’s nothing, Nat. Just having an off day.” He replied, coughing as he got to his feet and preparing for the next onslaught.

Okay, maybe it wasn’t nothing. Percy had invited him to her sisters birthday party, and Clint was nervous. He’d missed her first because he’d gone on an assignment in New Mexico, but now was different. There was no new Avengers mission or S.H.I.E.L.D. assignment on the horizon. He never thought, at thirty two, that he’d be scared to go to a little girls party. He’d performed in the circus, trained as a spy, gone to numerous different countries for missions, had had his mind controlled by Loki, and stared down an army of aliens from another world... Yet a little girl with green eyes and salt and pepper hair was what he found daunting.

“Off day?” Natasha scoffed, going for a kick to Clint’s thigh, but he quickly blocked it, “You’re not having an off day, I’ve seen those. What you are doing, is getting a major ass kicking.”

“When have I ever had an off day?” And he almost kicked himself for letting those words pass his lips.

“Where do I start?” And with every date that she rattled off, she sent another punch, kick or takedown manoeuvre in his direction. He could tell that she was enjoying his discomfort.

Another blow struck his ribs, and Clint groaned. That was definitely gonna hurt later on, and Percy was gonna thump him again when she found out exactly why he’d been injured. He almost wished he was fighting her now. At least she’d make getting hurt worth while. Natasha fought like it was ‘kill or be killed.’

Percy was athletic, sure, but her hand to hand was in need to improvement. She was more comfortable with Anaklusmos, or Riptide as it was more commonly referred to. Most of the monsters she fought and, on occasion, demigods, were defeated with swords or other weapons owned by the various campers. Clint had been teaching her, but since beginning their relationship, they became easily distracted... And Percy’s attention span was shorter than a goldfish because of her ADHD. She’d be very offended if he told her that.

He had tried to teach her archery once. The operative word being _tried_ and _once_. Clint knew it was a bad idea as soon as she let go of the string, and the arrow flew towards the target. It ended up deflecting off of the target, right into poor Chiron’s flank.

“ _Again, Miss. Jackson_.” He’d said, pulling out the arrow, and Clint never tried again. He was still mystified as to how she’d managed to have one of his carbon steel arrows deflect off of _straw_.

“That was an easy one.”

“Yeah?” He groaned, “Well, tell that to my ribs. I’m pretty sure there’s still some you haven’t cracked or broken yet.”

“Stop being a baby. I didn’t hit you that hard.” She swept a stray piece of hair behind her ear, “And if you weren’t distracted by whatever’s got that dopey look on your face, maybe I wouldn’t have hit you so many times.”

_Yes, you would have_ , Clint thought, but he wasn’t feeling brave enough to actually say it out loud. “It’s personal.” He finally settled on, as he brought his guard up again.

“Is it your brother?” She inquired, starting the fight again, “Laura? One of the kids?”

“No.” He sighed, relaxing his stance, “I have a girlfriend.”

And Natasha punched him in the face.


	4. Percy’s Pregnant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys and gals. Yet another chapter for all of you. This prompt doesn’t really have a set date, just after MotT, so it’s sometime after June/July of 2016. 
> 
> As always, thanks to everybody who has reviewed, commented, favourited, and all that jazz.
> 
> Please R&R/comment if you want.
> 
> T.C
> 
> TW. There is talks of Natasha’s past in the Red Room at the end of the chapter, just to warn you.
> 
> ~oOo~

Percy stared down at the test in her hand, almost wishing the result to change. Three different brands couldn’t all be wrong, could they? And surely Chiron and Will Solace couldn’t be mistaken too. The Centaur was always the Battlefield Medic during War Games, and Will was a son of Apollo.

She’d spent the morning curled up in a ball on a bed in the infirmary, crying, and the afternoon just staring at the wall; knees pulled up to her chest and arms wrapped round them.

To anybody else, a positive pregnancy test would be a reason to celebrate. She was in a committed relationship with one of her best friends, she was loved and healthy. So why did the thought of a baby fill her with such dread? She was fine with her sister, Estelle, and Clint’s niece and nephew’s, Lila, Cooper, and Nathaniel. But this was different.  They were different.

After a few hours of staring blankly at the wall, Will decided it would be best to call in reinforcement. He knew Clint was away visiting his family, so the next best thing, was his ‘Work Wife’ as they jokingly called the Black Widow herself, Natasha Romanoff.

When she arrived the next day, Will led her to the infirmary – which was where Percy had spent the night. Nico had snuck in at some point in the night, and was stroking her hair away from her face. But if anybody called him out on it, he’d just send an army of skeletons after them. It took a bit of cajoling, but eventually Natasha was able to get her out of bed.

They wandered around the camp for a while, not talking. Natasha was waiting for Percy to tell her what was on her mind. There was no use pushing. She’d learned that the demigod was stubborn and liked to keep things bottled up inside. It didn’t do her any good, but that was just how she was.

Eventually, they reached the dock. It was where Percy felt most at home. She could spend hours just watching the ripples in the water or talking to the naiads that ventured close enough.

“I’m pregnant.” She whispered after a few seconds, “About five weeks, give or take.”

“I’m sure Clint will be thrilled. He’s always talking about how he wants to start a family with you.” Natasha asked, almost in a state of shock. Whatever she’d been expecting, it certainly hadn’t been that, “Does he know?”

Percy smiled a little, but shook her head. “I love Clint, I really do, but I don’t know if I can be a mother.”

“I’ve seen you with other kids. You love them. You’re always smiling.” Natasha told her, sitting with her feet dangling over the edge of the dock; toes skimming the water.

“But they’re different.”

Natasha seemed puzzled by the response. “How? A kid’s a kid.”

“Because  we are different.” She muttered, picking up a stone and flicking her wrist. The two of them watched as it skimmed across the water more times than would be considered natural.

“You’ve got to teach me how to do that.” The former assassin joked, trying to lighten the mood a little, but it was a bit too late for that.

Tears were welling in Percy’s eyes. “I’m always in danger because of what I am. Monsters are more likely to find me then a child of Aphrodite or Hermes. I’m a child of the Big Three. It’s a miracle that I’m still alive. Most die before they reach twenty.” A stray tear fell down her cheek, “And I’m not under any illusion of how dangerous Clint’s job is. I’ve known for a while. There’s always a risk that one or both of us won’t come home. What happens if both of us die? Who’d take care of the baby? A baby whose parents have more enemies then should be natural. I couldn’t risk the lives of my friends. I can’t ask that of them... I won’t ask it of them.”

“Doesn’t matter what you want. I’m pretty sure your friends and family would be willing take the risk.”

“But they shouldn’t have to.”

A beat of silence passed between them as Natasha considered the pros and cons of what she was about to reveal. Only a few people were aware of it, and it wasn’t a story that she liked to tell, but she knew she’d have to.

“You know, in the Red Room, where I was trained... Where I was raised, they have something called the ‘Graduation Ceremony.’” She started, averting her eyes from Percy’s bright, sea green ones, “When you finish your training, they, uh... They sterilize you.” Her voice cracked, and she could feel the tears pooling in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall, “It’s efficient. One less thing to worry about. The one thing that might matter more than a Mission. Makes everything easier. Even killing.” She finally looked up, and found Percy was staring at her; more tears rolling down her cheeks as she took in the story, “I can never have children of my own. That option was taken from me before I was eighteen.” Natasha brushed a stray piece of hair behind Percy’s ear, and then ran her thumb over cheek, “I know you’re scared, anybody would be, but I won’t lie. I really would love to be ‘Auntie Nat’ at some point.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Both of them looking back out over the water as the sun started to fade; the red, yellow and pinks dancing with the motion of the water, “And, just for the record, I think you’ll make a badass Auntie.”


	5. Failing Nico

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys and gals. I’m back again. I’m a little bit later to posting then I wanted, but I had a late start, but itks better late than never. This is set during The Titans Curse, so December 2007, and a little bit in February 2008.
> 
> Now, I will say, this is the last request I have written so far, so it may be a little while till this gets updated again, but I’ll tell you the ones that I’m going to write. Don’t be shy about giving me ideas though. So I have - Meeting Percy, The Siberia Mission, Percy Goes Missing, Tony Meets The Hunters of Artemis, and Percy Meets Natasha.
> 
> Anyway, on with the chapter. Thanks to everybody who’s reviewed, commented, favourited and all that jazz.
> 
> Please R&R/comment if you want.
> 
> T.C
> 
> ~oOo~

To say that Percy thought she had failed was an understatement. First, she’d gone on a Mission with Thalia and Annabeth to help extract two demigods – Nico and Bianca do Angelo – who Grover had reported could be in danger. After a short fight, they’d lost the daughter of Athena, the Hunters of Artemis had turned up, and Bianca had joined them. Then there was the Quest Zoë Nightshade had been given by the mad old bat from the Big House attic – also known as the Oracle of Delphi.

After being woken up by Blackjack the Pegasus to save the Ophiotaurus – whom Percy had named Bessie – she’d returned to find Zoë, Bianca, Thalia and Grover preparing to set off. The fifth member of the Quest had been pranked by the Stoll brothers – who knew Centaurs blood was like acid? She’d heard the, talking!and it was here that she made her first mistake. Percy had promised to keep Nico’s sister safe.

When the group had left, Percy was quick to follow on Blackjack. They followed the minibus all the way to Washington, D.C., where she’d spotted Dr. Thorn following the group. She sent Blackjack back towards Camp, and followed them on foot – while wearing Annabeth’s invisibility cap – all the way to the Air and Space Museum.

_The Smithsonian!_ Percy thought. The Triskelion was near by, and that was home base for Clint, but she couldn’t afford to be distracted now. She’d listened in on the meeting with Dr. Thorn, warned the Quest group of what she’d heard, had a fight with a Nemean Lion, escaped, and then met Apollo in a car as the train rumbled across the rails.

They made it to Cloud-Croft, New Mexico, had a fight with some Skeleton Warriors, got a ride from a Erymanthian Boar all the way to a Junkyard, found out Bianca and Nico were older than they looked – thanks to the _lovely_ place known as the Lotus Hotel and Casino – had a talk with Ares and Aphrodite, and fought Talos – a creation of Hephaestus – that had been thrown into the Junkyard. It’s hoe, and where, they lost Bianca. _One shall be lost in the land without rain_ the Prophecy had warned.

By the next day, they’d made it to Hoover Dam, found out that Bessie had followed her all the way from Long Island Sound, met Rachel Elizabeth Dare – a mortal who could see through the Mist – and got help from Zeus, via a couple statue Angels, in defeating the Skeleton Warriors that had followed them. Chuck and Hank, the statues, dropped them off in San Francisco.

Apollo had told Percy to find Nereus, and what a waste of time that was. Nereus had been unhelpful – and it had taken long enough to get him to talk to them – Bessie’s name wasn’t actually Bessie, and then Dr. Thorn found them. Of course, he had to have one of those villain speeches they all did, which told them exactly what their plan was. Then they had help from the most unlikely of sources – Mr. D.

Grover went with Bessie back to Camp Half-Blood – Percy sacrificing the lion-skin cloak she’d won earlier to grant them safe passage through the sea – met Annabeth’s father, almost died on the way to the Garden of Hesperides, got past Landon the Dragon, barely, up the mountain past the ruins of Mount Othrys and up to Atlas’s mountain. But it wasn’t Atlas holding up the sky. It was a twelve year old girl with auburn hair and a tattered silvery dress: Artemis.

Atlas, plot twist, was Zoë’s father, and he was working with Luke and the Monsters on the Princess Andromeda. Luke, in turn, was trying to convince Thalia to join him. To make the Great Prophecy come to fruition as soon as she turned sixteen. It didn’t work though. Thalia looked at her cousin, and there was a silent agreement to put their animosity behind them. If they were going to die which, to be fair, they probably were, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to die fighting as friends.

When they charged, Thalia went straight for Luke, and Percy went for Atlas. It was probably the stupidest thing of her life. Chiron had warned her ages ago that ‘ _Immortals are constrained by ancient rules. But a Hero can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as he has the nerve._ ’ Once she attacked, Atlas was free to retaliate directly, with all his might.

As soon as she swung her sword at him, he treated her like a rag doll. With a flick of his wrist, Atlas had sent Percy flying backwards into a black wall. She’d gone to raise Riptide to cut off Atlas’ weapon, but her arms felt like lead and her sword suddenly weighted a ton. Ares’ words echoed in her head. Words spoken over a year before, on a beach Los Angeles. ‘ _When you need it most, your sword will fail you_.’

She tried to dodge the javelin, but it caught her in the chest, and she flew back again; slamming into the ground. Her head was spinning, but when she looked up, she was at the feet of Artemis.

“Run, girl. You must run!” She told her. But she didn’t. She knew her sword had skittered off the edge of the cliff, and although she knew that it would reappear in her pocket – maybe in a few seconds or a couple minutes – but she didn’t have time. Atlas had taken his time sauntering over to where she lay; raising his javelin to impale her.

“Die, little Hero.”

But the blow never came. Zoë had yelled and sent a volley of silvers arrows towards her father; each one finding a home in the chinks of his amour. The distraction was all that Percy needed. She felt that Riptide was back in her pocket, but she knew that she couldn’t fight Atlas, even with her trust sword.

_The Titan’s curse must one withstand_. It was another line of the Prophecy given after their game of Capture the Flag. Percy looked back up at Artemis, and made her decision. She would take the weight of the sky and she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Using Riptide, she slashed through the chains that bound the Goddess, herself on one knee, held up her hands, and touched the cold, heavy clouds.

For the briefest of moments, Percy and Artemis bore the weight together. It was the heaviest thing she’d ever felt, as if she were being crushed by a thousand trucks. She wanted to black out from the pain, but one simple sentence ran through her head. ‘ _I can do this_ _’_ , over and over.

And then Artemis slipped out from under the burden, leaving Percy to hold it alone. She couldn’t even describe what it felt like. It was like every muscle in her body turned to fire, she could swear her bones were melting, and she wanted to scream, but she didn’t have the strength to open her mouth. She just kept sinking lower and lower as the sky’s weight continued crushing her. After a few seconds, her vision turned fuzzy. Everything was tinged with red.

Percy tried to follow the battles between Luke and Thalia and Atlas and Artemis, but she couldn’t. She just kept getting weaker. Grover’s voice sounded in her head – _fight back. Don’t give up_. That’s when she thought of Bianca. She’d given her life so they could get there. If she could do that, Percy could hold the sky.

If you asked her later exactly how Atlas ended up holding up the sky again, she wouldn’t be able to tell you. She tried to stand, but fell to the ground again; dazed from the pain. She still felt like she was burning up. All she was certain of, was Zoë had been more injured then she let on, Thalia pushed Luke off the mountain, and Robert Chase had come to the rescue in his Sopwith Camel; firing celestial bronze bullets at the Monsters charging towards them.

When they made it to safety, Zoë died. She’d known all along that the last line of the Prophecy was about her. _And one shall perish by a parent’s hand_. She was sent to live amongst the stars, forever.

Thalia decided to join the Hunters. She refused to let the Great Prophecy be hers. It couldn’t be hers if she never turned sixteen. Bessie was spared sacrifice, and the Gods promised to protect him. As long as he was protected, Kronos wouldn’t be able to get to him.

Which led to now, February, two months after those events. Percy was back home in the New York apartment she shared with her mom, Sally, who was currently out on a date with Paul Blofis – Percy called him Blowfish in her head – and she was currently serving suspension because she said some very questionable things to her teacher. They were all warranted in her mind, because the teacher in question had forced her to the front of the class, and told her to read, out loud, a passage in the book, knowing full well that she was dyslexic... Well, that got her detention. Being caught fighting got her the suspension. Boys shouldn’t pick on somebody who can knock them on their ass.

So when the doorbell rang, Percy grabbed her pen, and slowly crept towards the door. She wasn’t expecting her mother to be back for ages, and she wasn’t expecting anybody else. Of course, what Monster would announce themselves like this, but you couldn’t be too sure nowadays.

She shouldn’t have been wary though, because Clint stood on the other side of the door. He had a bag slung over his shoulder, the beginnings of a black eyes, and looked like he was about to drop from exhaustion. He looked a little like she did. It sucked having to heal the normal way.

But it wasn’t the black eye, the split lip, or even the way she was standing – a sure sign that she’d hurt her ribs – that had Clint knowing that something was wrong. He knew from her knotted hair that hadn’t been washed in three days – which had the new addition of a grey stripe from scalp to tip – and the rumpled pyjamas.

“Wanna talk about it?” He asked, and Percy just nodded and hugged him round the middle, “Come on. You tell me what happened, and I’ll do your hair.”

It didn’t take long for Clint to grab a hairbrush, a couple bobbles, and be sat behind Percy; carefully brushing out the knots and braiding into two plaits. “I promised a ten year old I’d protect his sister on a Quest. She died. I can still hear his words in my head.”

And that was true. Every time she tried to sleep, she could hear his voice echoing. ‘ _You promised you would protect her. You promised! I shouldn’t have trusted you. You lied to me. My nightmares were right! I hate you!_ ’ The last three words are the ones that seemed to haunt her the most though. Maybe it was because she hated herself for letting it happen. Maybe it was why she had sought out the fight.

After telling him the entire story, and giving him a few seconds to let it sink in, Clint looked at a loss for words. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before he finally came up with a response. “And I thought I had it bad. Fury handed me my ass for bringing in the Russian assassin I was sent to kill. I’m pretty sure I can still feel the tingling feeling of where he smacked me.”

Percy couldn’t help but laugh at the statement. It was probably one of the first genuine laughs she’d had since Nico ran away. She’d spent as much time as she could searching for him, praying to the Gods to keep him safe, checking in with Grover – who was searching for Pan – to see if he’d found anything in his travels. A lot of demigods had been going missing recently, and it was thought they’d either been eaten by Monsters or recruited into the Titan army.

“I feel like I failed him. I shouldn’t have made that promise.”

“You didn’t fail him. You did the best you could in the situation, and there was nothing you could have done. From what you’ve said, she chose to sacrifice herself so the rest of you could live.” He told her, speaking from experience, “Now, come on. Let’s get some sleep, we both need it. You don’t need to worry. I’ll keep the Monsters away.”

When Sally and Paul arrived later that night, they found the two of them sleeping peacefully; Percy laid on top of Clint, and the archer with an arm wrapped protectively round her back.


End file.
